Editor's Picks category, Page 387
Fox Chapel committee to examine removing word ‘Squaw’ from street, trail names
A new committee in Fox Chapel will examine the impacts of the word “Squaw” and its use in borough street and trail names. The issue has become hotly debated in recent months, with several residents requesting local governments to replace the word, saying it is a slur against Native American...
Local lawmaker calling for end to sportsbook tax
A Pennsylvania lawmaker is calling for the elimination of “unnecessary” taxes on legal sportsbook operators. Regulated sports betting operators are required by the Internal Revenue Code to pay a 0.25% federal excise tax on all wagers as well as a $50 annual tax for every employee engaged in receiving bets,...
Rescued Sewickley dog who inspires children’s books to ‘pawtagraph’ latest work in McCandlessVideo
Tyrion Pittister — a rescued pit bull who inspired two children’s books — will be on hand at the McCandless Crossing shopping center Aug. 8 to “pawtagraph” copies of his latest publication, “Tyrion’s Town.” The pet-friendly event is one of several planned this summer and fall to celebrate the opening...
Sprint car in funeral home, with final lap at Lernerville, honor Bell Township man
As Brandon D. “B-Dog” Hawkins lived life full throttle, expect nothing less for his funeral home viewing and services. Hawkins’ family is celebrating the memory of the underwater welder and laborer who died July 20 on the job in Johnstown. Hawkins, of Bell Township, was 26. He was a 2012...
Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto joins other mayors asking for federal help during pandemicVideo
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto joined mayors from across the country Tuesday in a call for an infusion of federal cash to help local governments deal with financial shortfalls caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “We are at a critical juncture as we look into the future of an economic recovery,” Peduto...
Franklin Regional team selected as one of top 18 in country for NASA’s WEAR Challenge
A team of five Franklin Regional Middle School students, led by husband and wife teachers Arthur and Sarah Danny, were selected for phase two of NASA’s WEAR Challenge, in which students must design either a garment or helmet as radiation protection for astronauts on deep space missions. If the team...
Couch, Abjuration breweries, First Sip Brew Box team to create beer, awareness for social injusticesVideo
A few local breweries are crafting a beer for justice. Couch Brewery in East Liberty, Abjuration Brewing in McKees Rocks and Pittsburgh’s First Sip Brew Box are teaming on a brew for the Black is Beautiful campaign. The effort aims to raise awareness for the injustices people of color face,...
Pittsburgh officials: Floating cinema promoter hasn’t sought required permits
An Australian entertainment company promoting a series of floating cinema nights that includes a September swing through Pittsburgh has yet to apply for the necessary permits, according to city officials and a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard. “We are actively trying to get in contact with them so we...
Mountain rescuers heft ailing St. Bernard off English peak
St. Bernards are known for helping to rescue distressed travelers in the mountains, but the tables were turned Sunday in northern England. Sixteen volunteers from the Wasdale mountain rescue team took turns carrying Daisy, a 121-pound St Bernard, from England’s highest peak, Scafell Pike. The mountain rescue team spent nearly...
Hartwood Acres wildflowers aren’t just easy on the eyes; they’re reducing maintenance costs, floodingVideo
A 5-acre patch of Hartwood Acres has been transformed into a meadow with a blazing sea of yellow black-eyed and brown-eyed Susans. The wildflowers, known as Rudbeckia, weren’t planted at the park just for their visual appeal. “The idea was to reduce the amount of grass in the parks,” said...
Photos: Carrie Carpool Cinema drive-in held at Carrie Blast Furnaces
Rivers of Steel kicked off its Carrie Carpool Cinema series at the Carrie Blast Furnaces this weekend with movies shot in Pittsburgh. On Friday, “Flashdance” and “Out of the Furnace” were projected onto a large screen at the Rankin site, followed by “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and “Kingpin”...
30 years later, Americans with Disabilities Act still lauded but ‘work is never done’
When Dick Thornburgh witnessed the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act 30 years ago, he knew his son’s life would be changed forever. The Pittsburgh native and former Republican Pennsylvania governor was the U.S. attorney general at the time. Leading the Justice Department, he was integral in working out...
Trib Total Media hires first class of Jim Borden Memorial scholars
Trib Total Media’s first class of Jim Borden Memorial Scholarship winners has started work at the Tribune-Review amid the coronavirus pandemic and a hectic news environment. The scholarship, named for the Tribune-Review’s late managing editor, offers financial assistance up to $30,000 — paid in $7,500 annual installments — for college...
Pittsburgh’s Handmade Arcade looking for vendors as it goes virtual
The annual Handmade Arcade will be held virtually this year. The event’s “Virtual Marketplace” will launch on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28, and run through Dec. 6. Vendor applications are being accepted. The deadline is Aug. 22. Apply here. Everyone who applies will get a link to a free webinar....
S.W. Randall Toyes & Giftes marks 50th anniversary in Pittsburgh this yearVideo
Wooden puzzles, action figures, card and board games may seem old-fashioned to those playing the latest electronics or virtual reality contraption. However, it’s those hand-held items and more that has kept S.W. Randall Toyes & Giftes around for half a century. Owner Jack Cohen, 73, of Shadyside, said he’s grateful...
What the spike in covid-19 hospitalizations means in Allegheny County
Health officials had predicted it, and now it’s here. Following several weeks of high daily case counts, hospitalizations in Allegheny County have steadily increased, with a record 22 hospitalizations reported Friday. In the past 19 days, the county has topped 200 new cases eight times, averaging 182 cases per day....
2 new stores, expanded shop at Ross Park Mall
Ross Park Mall welcomed two stores and unveiled a third newly expanded shop. Fabletics and Evereve are the new stores. H&M expanded its footprint to 21,000 square feet. H&M is known for its on trend merchandise at affordable prices. Fabletics was launched in 2013 by co-founder Kate Hudson....
Harrison teacher adapts to pandemic with outdoor Kindermusik classes
For 19 years, Christa Beck has encouraged local children to move with the music at her Kindermusik program. A pandemic wasn’t going to stop that. Beck described Kindermusik as “interactive music and movement classes that focus on whole-child development using music.” She feels strongly that children need such programs —...
Dr. Robert Cicco: What 13 words could cost Pa. in covid-19 fight
Legislation is often verbose and unclear, sometimes leaving unintended loopholes that can be exploited by special interests. But other times the language is chillingly spare and ruthlessly direct. Like many states across the country that were taking up the charge to “Cover All Kids” and extend health care coverage to...
Wolf calls on General Assembly to raise minimum wage in Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday called on lawmakers to raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania, which has not been increased in 11 years. The state’s minimum wage was set at $7.25 on July 24, 2009, the last time the federal government raised wages. Prior to that, the minimum wage was...
Kennywood to go dark Mondays, Tuesdays through the summer
Kennywood Park announced Friday it will operate only five days a week through the remainder of the 2020 season. The West Mifflin amusement park will be shut down Mondays and Tuesdays, Kennywood said via its social media. Some important calendar updates to share: Going forward, Kennywood will be closed on...
Let’s go Bucks: Gov. Wolf’s tweet to Pirates wished good luck with gaffe
Gov. Tom Wolf wished the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies good luck for the MLB season. Or at least tried to. Wolf tweeted the message Thursday afternoon, but included the wrong spelling of the Pirates’ nickname, writing “Bucks” instead of Bucs. @GovernorTomWolf That’s a swing and a miss, sir! But...
Primanti Bros. offering free french fries to Pirates fans on Opening Day
Pittsburgh-area Primanti Bros. locations will be giving away free french fries to Pittsburgh Pirates fans on Friday. The promotion is part of the Opening Day celebration of the coronavirus-delayed start of the 2020 MLB season. Opening Day for the Pirates is July 24, at St. Louis. (The first home game...
Dr. Anthony Fauci’s first pitch for MLB’s return misses its markVideo
The trajectory for Dr. Anthony Fauci’s first pitch for Opening Day would be favorable for any disease-related projection model. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had his initial toss go straight into the ground Thursday before the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals contest. Dr....
Hold the Picklesburgh: The beloved Pittsburgh festival is canceled
No dill. Picklesburgh is the latest summer event to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year would have been the sixth annual celebration of all things pickled. Voted the No. 1 specialty food festival in America in a USA Today readers’ poll for two years in a row,...
